A video signal is typically encoded by one or more video encoders in order to generate a video stream capable of being sent over a data communications network. Such encoding is useful to reduce the bitrate associated with the video signal, thereby allowing the video stream to fit within the bandwidth constraints of the network. Data reduction is also helpful in some systems to permit forward error correction data to be transmitted in the video stream. However, video encoders may be resource intensive, sometimes requiring significant processing and/or memory resources in order to achieve acceptable video quality.